About Brooke
Brooke Friendly has been folk and country dancing for more than 30 years and has taught since 1982. She teaches an academic credit class on English and Scottish country dance at Southern Oregon University (SOU), an ongoing class for SOU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and co-leads a weekly community dance class in Ashland with her husband, Chris Sackett.
Brooke has been on staff at numerous dance camps and events around North America. In 2007 and 2008, she was program director of the Bay Area Country Dance Society English Dance and Music Week. In addition, she leads callers' workshops for English country dance teachers, most recently in Victoria BC.
Brooke also calls for contra, barn, and family dances. She is on the roster of guest presenters for visiting school groups program of the Center for Shakespeare Studies at SOU.
She and Chris have devised English and Scottish Country Dances, to increasing international acclaim, since 1996. They have published three books of dances—Impropriety Volume 1 in 2006, Impropriety Volume 2 in 2008, and Impropriety Volume 3 in 2010. In May 2009, they collaborated with the newly formed band Roguery (Anita Anderson and Dave Bartley from Seattle WA, Shira Kammen from Berkeley CA, and Jim Oakden from Santa Cruz CA) to produce a CD of music for the English Country Dances in Volume 1. In January 2010, they produced a CD for Volume 2, and in January 2011, they produced a CD for Volume 3.
Theatrical choreography credits include SOU Department of Theatre Arts productions of Entertaining Strangers (with Chris), Dancing at Lughnasa and Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s world premiere Parcel From America.
Brooke was a founding member of The Heather and the Rose Country Dancers, a statewide organization promoting English and Scottish Country Dance with several branches throughout Oregon whose teachers use global terminology (no reference to gender) for calling dances. She served as H&R’s treasurer and secretary for seven years. She coordinates the Ashland branch’s annual spring ball that celebrates its 32nd anniversary in 2012. Brooke served on the board and executive committee of the Country Dance and Song Society for six years and served on the CDSS Youth Task Group.
In addition to teaching, organizing, and composing country dance, Brooke has been in several performing groups presenting English, Scottish, Irish and Garland dance and was on a Morris dance team for eight years. She loves to sing, especially rounds, and has taught round workshops and led round singing at a variety of events.
Brooke worked at Southern Oregon University for 13 years, for the Department of Theatre Arts as director of the Ashland Center for Theatre Studies, running theatre teacher training programs, and for SOU Extended Campus Programs managing arts and adult community education programs. She worked for the Arts Council of Southern Oregon, a regional arts service agency, for more than eight years. As Executive Director, Brooke was responsible for identifying and securing resources needed for the growth and development of the Arts Council including funds, board members and other resources. Brooke also managed the Arts in Education program, oversaw a small grants program, and provided consulting help to artists and arts organizations. She served for two years on the Oregon Arts Commission's statewide arts education long range planning committee.